Reports have surfaced that some Serbian fans sang songs about killing Albanians during a World Cup match on Friday.
Serbia lost to Switzerland 3-2 on the night, as the loss eliminated the southeastern European team from the competition. Some Swiss players have family ties to Albania and Kosovo.
The Guardian reports that some Serb supporters displayed fascist slogans on clothing and sang racist songs against ethnic Albanians throughout the match. The findings were endorsed by a fan inside the 974 Stadium in Doha.
Hasan Rrahmani claimed that stadium officials confiscated an Albanian flag from him before the match. The fan also said that while the flag was not allowed at the venue, other derogatory slogans were allowed on clothing inside the stadium.
“I was completely shocked to see the number of fascist slogans, T-shirts and flags,” Rrahmani said.
He allegedly showed the store photos of a Serb fan wearing a hat symbolizing the brutality of the Kosovo wars. The man in question was part of a larger group that was also wearing similar clothing.
Rrahmani claimed that some Serbian fans wore T-shirts with the slogan “Serbia to Tokyo” across the chest.
This saying originated in 1991 when Red Star Belgrade won the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo, Japan. At the time it was the biggest hit ever produced by a team from Yugoslavia.
However, some Serbs have since used the catchphrase to mock ethnic groups since the Yugoslav wars.
Abominable chants heard throughout the match
However, the songs were noticed by FIFA officials.
A public message was issued calling for the chants inside the stadium to stop in the 77th minute. However, Rrahmani says the chants could be heard from the first minutes of the match.
Some of the chants from Serbian fans were reportedly translated as “kill, kill, kill Albanians” and “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia”.
Kosovo has been the subject of much debate in recent years. Although they officially declared the independence of Serbia in 2008, Serbia does not recognize the decision.
Swiss stars Granit Xhaka and Xerdan Shaqiri previously made headlines when they made gestures reminiscent of the Albanian flag when they both scored against Serbia at the 2018 World Cup.
Serbia is also under investigation by FIFA for an earlier incident at the 2022 World Cup. They unfurled a flag showing Kosovo as part of Serbia with the words “we don’t give up” during their clash with Brazil.
Photo credit: IMAGO / MexSport Agency
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